Winter School: The Novel of Ideas

In the tradition of ‘littérature engagée’ and the novel of ideas, this workshop is about identifying what it is you want to explore on a deeper level in your work and how to do this effectively.

As Sartre once said, ‘commitment must not under any circumstances cause literature to be forgotten’, so we will practice techniques for incorporating ideas in your writing - philosophical, ethical, political – staying true to the story and its characters without distancing the reader or being preachy.

how to become more engaged with the world and ideas through your writing practice.

About Lia Hills

Lia Hills is a Melbourne-based novelist, poet and translator. Publications include her novel ‘The Beginner’s Guide to Living’, shortlisted for the Victorian, Queensland and West Australian Premier’s Literary Awards, and her prize-winning poetry collection ‘The Possibility of Flight’. She has written about and translated works by Marie Darrieussecq and Alain Badiou. Lia’s latest novel, 'The Crying Place', set mostly in Arrernte and Pitjantjatjara country, is a story about grief, place and Australia’s fraught relationship with its past.

Applications for Round 3 of the Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund will open 16 August 2018, 10am.
Named in honour of poet, novelist and short story writer Neilma Gantner (1922-2015), the travel fund recognises the unique value of travel in the development of new writing and literary careers.